Explosive-turbine.



A. HERZ.

EXPLOSIVE TURBINE. APPLICATION FILED'OCT. 28. 1920.

Patented Dec. 14:, 191 5,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I A. HERZ. EXPLOSIV E TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED 00128. l9l0.

Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 A. HERZ.

. EXPLOSIVE TURBINE. APPLICATION FILED o( :T.2s. 1910 1 l 6%,09 1 r I Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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ALFRED HERZ, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

EXPLOSIVE-TURBINE.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 28,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED Hnnz, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Explosive-Turbines, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to turbines and is more particularly designed to provide a turbine in which I utilize internal combustion chambers to provide the motive power.

In the preferred form of my invention, I utilize one or more movable members carrying vanes in association with one or more stationary members also carrying vanes and cause an actuation of the movable member by means of a plurality of power cylinders furnishing fluid under pressure.

I will describe one embodiment of my in vention more in detail by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinally sectional view of my improved turbine; Fig.2 is a detail of the spark plug; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line aa of Fig. 1; Fig'. 4 is a sectional view on lines bb of Fig. '1; Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 0 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is a developed view of the vanes, of the various operating members. Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the circuit arrangements.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, I show a shaft 1 which carries a rotor 2 of cylindrical form having the closed ends 3, 3 and the arms 4 forstrengthening purposes at its center. This rotor is a closed cylinder; the shaft 1 is preferably hollow from its right hand extremity up to the openings 6, 6, at which the interior of said shaft communicates with the hollow interior of the rotor 2. The object of the hollow structure thus far set forth is to permit coolingmedium to flow from the end cup 7 through said shaft into the interior of the rotor 2, and then to be thrown out by centrifugal force through passages 8, 8. The water as thrown out is caught in the pocket 9 and may be drained through thetube 10. The

, rotor 2 carries three groups of vanesll, 12

and 13, which vanes are provided with dovetailed retaining portions 14. The dovetailed elements 14 to which the vanes arev secured are set against the outer periphery p the completed rotor,

Patented Dec. 14, 11215. ie io. Serial No. 589,541.

of the rotor 2, the vane 11 having its dovetailed portion co'riperating with a dovetailed element 15 integral with said rotor. A retaining element 16 holds the vanes 11 in place being adjustably secured to the rotorthrough the agency of the screw 17. The element 16 serves as an abutment for the dove-tailed portion of the vane 12 and a second element 18 likewise adjustably mounted by the screw 19 completes the mounting of the vanes 12. The vanes 13 with their dove-tailed portion again coiiperate with the left hand extremity of the element 18 and a nut 20 completes the structure and brings all parts together to form The stator of my improved machine is made in two halves 21 and 22. The part 21 has a cooling envelop 23 and the element 22 has the cooling envelop 24 and inlet pipe 25 carries cooling medium to the enevlop 23 from which it is carried by means of the pipes 26 and 27 to the envelop 24 from whence it can be withdrawn through the opening 28. The two'halves 21 and 22 are each provided with ears 29, 29 and may be suitably held together by bolts 30. The object of thus mounting the stator in two parts is to permit removal of one-half of the stator when it is desired to have access to the interior onto remove the rotor. Bearings 31 and 32 are provided in the stator to support the shaft 1. The bearing'32 is so arranged in this specific embodiment that it may be used as a thrust bearing to take up the end thrust of the rotor and for this purpose liquid may be forced through the openings 33, 33 to impinge against the plate 34 provided on shaft 1 and fluid will also be forced through the tube 35 and into the pocket or cup 7. This water finds its way from the pocket 7 through the shaft 1 and into the interior of the rotor 2. An annular opening 36 is provided communicating with the drain 37 to drain off the leakage fluid, which drain 37 communicates with the I interior of the cup 7.

dove-tailed element 44 which is adjustably mounted by the screw 45. The element 44 coiiperates to hold the element 42 and a further dove-tailed element 46 held adjustably by a screw 47 comprises the structure with the exception that set screws 48 are used to tighten up this stator structure.

To supply the motive power to cause rotation of the rotor with respect to the stator, which is in this instance fluid under pressure, I employ power cylinders 49, four .in this instance, within the stator. These power cylinders lead by means ofopenings 50 to the vanes, as may be more clearly seen from Fig. 6. There being four power cylinders, I employ five sets of vanes 1n the group of vanes 11 as will be more clearly apparent from Figs. 4 and 6, the remaining portions between these vanes 11 being taken up by a solid structure 51 which closes the openings 50 when a given set of vanes 11 is not in association with an opening 50. The engine is designed so that the opening 50 is closed whenv the explosion takes place within the cylinder,,but immediately thereafter a set "of vanes '11 comes opposite the opening 50, the impact is communicated to said vanes and serves to rotate the rotor. Referring more particularly-to Fig; 6, the flow of fluid under pressure then engages the /vanes 39 of the stator when the direction of the flow is changed so that the fluid under pressure in its further progress through the machine impinges against the vanes 12 serving to add further rotative effort to the rotor, after which the fluid under pressure engages the vanes when its directive force is again changed and the said fluid under pressure impinges against the vanes 13 to fluid after it has passed through the last set of vanes 13 is supposed to have spent its available force and iscollected in the pocket 52 from which it may exhaust through the exhaust opening 53 into the atmosphere or to be otherwise disposed of as mayseem best, as for instance into a receiver maintained below atmospheric pressure. It will be understood that the vanes 39, 12, 40 and 13' need not necessarily be broken up in sectlons as are the vanes 11 because with the structure shown it would not be necessary as certain vanes 12 and 13 may receive some rotative effort from fluid under pressure passing from the vanes 11 to certain vanes plug is in electrical association with a secondary winding 55 which is in inductive relation with the primary winding 56 of an induction coil. The four primary windings 65 56 are connected with one pole of the batadd further rotative effort to the fotor. The

these contacts are adapted to be engaged by arms 59 connected by the plate 60 secured to the shaft 1. Condensers 61 are used to avoid undue sparking at the terminals 58.

- The spark plug 54 is made as shown more clearly in Fig. 2 having the two spark elements 62 and 63 arranged opposite to a conducting plate 64, whereby to obtain a plurality of sparks in series. g

In order to provide fuel, I have a pocket 65 within the stator to which pocket the tube 66 may lead for the introduction of liquid fuel in the form of a spray or other- Wise when that is necessary. Tube 67 provides compressed gas and tube 68 provides compressed air. The pocket. 65 may be used as a mixing chamber from which the carbureted mixture is led alternately and successively into the cylinders 49. It may be pointed out right here that by having four cylinders 49 and five sets of vanes 11, I obtain the novel result of having twenty explosions per each revolution of the shaft, thus to get practically a'uniform torque. The shaft l'is provided with a valve 69 secured thereto by means of the set screw 70 and this valve has openings 71 properly positioned about the periphery to effect proper communication between the pocket 65 and I the cylinders 49 successively in order to introduce the explosive fluid at the proper time for each explosion. Explosive fluid is admitted five times during each revolution-to each cylinder and ignited at the proper time so that the ignition takes place immediately before a set of vanes 11 reaches the opening 50, or at any other time as practice will demonstrate. Brushes 72 preferably of carbon or graphite are used to prevent loss of fluid in the passage from the opening 50 to the vanes 11 and a packing ring 7 3 suitably controlled by a spring 74 serves to maintain a tight fit between the vanes 11 of the rotor and the stator structure. Suitable legs 74 are provided to mount the engine.

While I have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not mean to limit myself to the precise construction and arrangement as herein set forth, but 39 not 1n direct association therewith at the Having thus described one form of carrying out my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination of a rotary driving shaft, a hollow rotary valve constructed in cylindric form and mounted upon said shaft, said rotary valve having its annular rim provided with apertures forming ports for the outlet of explosive fluid, a series of explosion chambers arranged in annular form at the inner sides of said explosion chambers adapted to communicate with the ports in said valve, and a rotary member having vanes to be acted upon by the explosive when exploded, there being passages leading from said explosion chambers tosaid vanes.

2. An explosive turbine comprising in combination, a stationary portion provided with a mixing chamber and a plurality of explosion chambers, said explosion chambers having passages connecting with said mixing chamber and also having outlet passages, a rotor mounted in said stationary member, a valve connected to said rotor provided With ports for connecting said mixing chamber with said explosion chambers, the number of said ports being in excess of the number of explosion chambers, and a sec' ond valve member mounted on said rotor for governing the outlet passages from said explosion chambers, said second valve member having a number of ports therein equal to the number of ports in said first mentioned valve.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 21st day of October A. D.,

- ALFRED HERZ. l/Vitn'esses O. M. WERMICH, HAZEL JoNEs. 

